Eyes Front
by JazzChick
Summary: A girl on the edge of adulthood is sent to live at HonorHall Orphanage in an effort to protect her from murderers. While in Riften, she gets mixed up with the Thieves Guild, and since this is a Mercer Frey fanfiction, she gets mixed up with him as well.
1. Prologue

The day was cold when the news came of their deaths. Of course, everyday was cold in Windhelm, so the great chill that Lily had felt when she was taken by the city guards to the Palace of the Kings was not one that was merely brought on by a shift in the weather. Though they had not been the best, or let's be honest, even mediocre, relatives, the fact that her Aunt and Uncle had been killed still left Lily with a sense of loneliness. If she mourned anything about their passing it was that she was, once again, left abandoned.

The Great War had not been kind to the Frost-eye clan; she had seen her mother, father and two brothers buried after giving their lives for the freedom of the Empire. After they had died, she had been whisked to Windhelm to the supposed comfort of Frost-eye Mansion, which was currently being inhabited by her Aunt and Uncle. When she had arrived, much to her despair, she found the house in shambles, her family's reputation mostly ruined, and six and a half years to spend with two human beings that she barely knew.

Lily's Aunt and Uncle kept up just enough of an appearance of grandeur to remain welcome guests to the Jarl's court. And because of her Uncles frequent journeys to The Palace of the Kings, Lily was no stranger to it. When she turned fifteen, he had taken it upon himself to personally introduce Lily to Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, as if the man hadn't seen the child running around the palace with the rest of the children from noble families. At the time, Lily had no idea what had possessed her otherwise disinterested Uncle to bring her before royalty, but as she got older, she realized that he had been trying to marry her off to bring the family's good name back, and for this she really couldn't blame him. His efforts, however crude, were efforts nonetheless.

And now she would stand in front of him again, but this time without her uncle. She would stand in front of him alone, and he would relate the news of her family's final disintegration.

**Ω**

"I'm sorry to have to inform you of such terrible events, but I thought it would be better hearing it from a familiar mouth." Ulfric said looking down at Lily with concern. Ever since Godard Frost-eye had first brought her before him he had carried a torch for her in a sense. His feelings were more of a protector rather than a lover, but he had to admit to himself had she not been so young he would have had no trouble taking the beauty as a wife.

"When the issue is less than pleasant, I find it matters little who the courier of the message is." Lily said stonily. They were in an antechamber off the throne room, which she found more comforting than he knew. The throne room made her interactions with Ulfric scripted and formal. When they were in that throne room, she couldn't say what she was truly feeling for fear of being viewed as disrespectful. But in this antechamber, the emotions flowed, whether she wanted them too or not. She did not shift from staring out the window when she asked her first question.

"Who killed them?"

Ulfric made a motion to put a hand on her shoulder and she gave a start. He took his hand back.

"At this point we don't know," He said sighing, "We don't think it was the Dark Brotherhood, but we can't be sure."

"Do you think it was The Butcher?" she said turning to him.

"No, the, um, manner of death didn't fit with his style," Ulfric said "It looked as though the killer was told to murder them quietly. They were found in their bed, throats cut. It was a miracle he chose a night that you were at Candle Hearth Hall, or we would not be having this conversation." Though the subject matter was grisly, he found himself smiling at the end of the sentence. It wasn't a smile of mirth, but a smile of relief.

"Had I been there they probably wouldn't be dead." Lily retorted, turning away from him again. Ulfric reached out a second time and turned her around by the shoulders.

"And what would you have done to prevent what we can only assume was a trained assassin from completing his contract? Hit him over the head with a pan?" He said, looking into her eyes, "Their deaths weren't your fault. You need not put up such a strong front for me. I know they weren't your favorite people, but they were still family. I haven't seen you shed a single tear for them."

"Are you suggesting that I am unaffected by the deaths of my last remaining relatives because I haven't thrown myself upon you and wept? Would it befit to your idea of grief if I stormed through the palace sobbing uncontrollably?" Lily asked, matching his gaze, "Shall I begin now? Or perhaps wait for a more public display of mourning?" At this last comment she saw a shift in his demeanor. He released her shoulders, stood to his full height, and glared at her. For the first time she saw him as not simply Ulfric, but Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak, king of Windhelm, and felt that she had perhaps pushed him too far.

"I wish you would let me help you Lillian," He said turning away from her and seating himself behind the desk. "You are to go to Riften and stay at Honorhall Orphanage until you come of age. After that, you may do whatever you like." He said shortly. Lily looked at him incredulously.

"I am to go to an orphanage for five, no really three because it shall take me two to get to Riften, months and then come back? That's ridiculous! Why can't I just stay in Windhelm?" Lily protested, "Ulfric, you can't be serious about this, this must be some sort of joke."

"It is not joke Lillian; you are going to live in the orphanage until you come of age. It is not open for discussion, your case will not be handled differently because you are a noble, and you will live in Riften for however long you have until you are an adult and can collect your inheritance," He said taking a roll of paper and quill from his desk, "you are leaving in two days, I've taken the liberty of having your things brought here. You won't be staying in Frost-eye Mansion until we…can get that cleaned up."

"So that's it then? I'm just to be shipped off to some village and forgotten about?" Lily's voice was rising, "Not even given the courtesy of choosing my destination? Just told where to go?" She was practically screaming now, "I AM OF NOBLE BLOOD! I AM THE LAST REMAINING HEIR TO THE FROST-EYE CLAN, YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO -"

"I CAN AND WILL DO WHATEVER IT IS I MUST TO KEEP YOU SAFE!" He said, raising his voice to match hers, "DO YOU THINK I'M DOING THIS TO TORMENT YOU?" He sighed, "Can you not understand that I'm doing this to keep you alive?"

"If you wish to keep me alive, keep me here," She said, still fuming.

"No, and that is my final word Lily," Ulfric said, returning to his letter. Lily turned on her heel and ran out of the room.

**Ω**

Ulfric sat thinking in the same antechamber that he and Lily had fought in two days prior. She had departed, dry eyed and angry, this morning for the safety that distance would afford her. He had made a point to see her off, hoping to mend some of the damage that had caused her to totally disregard him for the past two days. He offered his hand to help her into the carriage, which she accepted, but still met him with the iciest glare he had ever seen come out of such striking blue eyes. He had chuckled, which only deepened her fury, and as soon as she had a footing in the carriage she had pushed his hand away.

"Have a safe trip Lily, I'm sending one of my finest soldiers to escort you." He said smiling at her. He realized that nothing he would say would make her forgive him at present and had resigned himself to the knowledge that some day she would understand.

"Well, the safety of the trip really isn't something I can control, now is it? Now, if you've nothing more to say, I would like to get going." Lily snapped. She was obviously growing impatient with his attempts at liberation. He gave into her request.

"Aye, it is indeed something that is out of your hands." He laughed. "I shall see you soon Lily, Goodbye." And with that, the carriage set off.

And now he sat in the antechamber, second guessing his decision to send her away. He couldn't keep her in Windhelm, he simply couldn't. Not without knowing the identity of the murderer at the very least. Even if he had kept her in the palace, she wouldn't be safe enough. No, hiding her away was the only option. If the murderer had just missed her, if there was still a contract on her head, Windhelm was the most dangerous place for her to be right now.

He hoped that who ever had done this would be stupid enough not to look at the orphanages. I mean, if they had any sort of reliable information, they would know that she was on the cusp of adulthood and never assume that she had been sent to a place that catered to smaller children. At least, that's what Ulfric hoped the assassins thought process would be. In the same breath, he knew that after five months had passed and she returned to Windhelm to collect her inheritance, she would once again be in danger, and at that point, there was little he could do to protect her if she didn't desire protection. He hoped that she would realize her predicament and do what was necessary to keep out of sight until that point.

Ulfric had chosen Riften because of its reputation with The Thieves Guild. If there was any place in all of Tamriel that a person could hide, it would be Riften. And though the thought of hiding her amongst those with such loose morals turned his stomach, the thought of her lying dead because he had not sent her was unbearable.


	2. Chapter 1

The sun shone happily on the streets of Riften despite the dark incidents that had transpired the night before. People shopped, laughed, and all together tried to forget that one of their numbers was decidedly absent from his usual stand in the center of town. Modesi had fallen into trouble with The Guild again, and everyone, well, everyone who was from Riften, knew what that meant.

"I can't believe it, no one even seems to care that those…those robbers have obviously done something to him! I mean, for divines sakes Aerin, the man lives in beggar's row! What could they expect from him?" The lioness said to her companion.

"Mjoll just calm down, upsetting yourself is not going to help Modesi in any way. He's not dead; you know that's not how they operate. He'll be back tomorrow when he…rests up." Said Aerin, who on more than one occasion, took it upon himself to quell the rage that would no doubt rip from his female friends' breast had she allowed herself to become any more enamored with the situation.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt but can you help me find the orphanage? I, um, have an appointment…" a young woman with dark hair said to the pair.

"Oh no, excuse us. Go right through the center of town, all the way to the Jarls palace, and then to the right." Mjoll said with a smile at the newcomer. Mjoll always got excited when new faces appeared in the city. Opportunities to advance her crusade against the Thieves Guild of Riften were few and far between these days. "Welcome to Riften, traveler. I'm Mjoll, and this is Aerin."

"Thanks, I really appreciate the help. I was given a map, but I must confess I'm absolutely terrible at reading them. I'm Lillian Frost-Eye." She offered her hand to them. Mjoll grasped it energetically.

"Frost-eye? As in Aldrich Frost-eye? The war hero of Skyrim?"

"Why, yes he was my fa-"

"Oh wow! It is an honor to meet you, milady," Mjoll made a bow "I was at your father's funeral, he was a great man. What brings you to Riften?"

Lily had had a two month carriage ride to decide whether or not she was going to make her circumstance known to others. No matter how badly she wanted to ignore it, Ulfric was probably right; there was an assassin out looking for her. She looked at Mjoll, considering any ulterior motives the woman might have, and ultimately decided that she was too much of a Good Samaritan to ever be a murderer.

"I was sent here to live at," Lily looked down at the paper, "Honorhall Orphanage. Strange, I feel as if I would have more respect for the place if its name wasn't such an obvious lie."

Aerin chuckled, "a lie indeed, I don't even think the children are available for adoption. The woman who runs that place is, to put it lightly, not pleasant. But why do you need to live there? You must have other relatives."

"I was living with them. They recently…passed away." Lily said. Though she highly doubted that these two were dangerous in anyway, she chose her words carefully. Lily decided that everyone in this town would be on a "need to know" basis when it came to her personal matters. She didn't intend on making a home here, why get invested with the people?

"I offer my deepest condolences, milady. It must have been terrible to lose them." Mjoll said.

"Aye, well, we all have to go sometime, I suppose." Lily said, not really caring if she sounded cool about the deaths. _If one more person tells me how terrible this loss is..._

"You are very brave to be so strong in this time. Please, if there is anything, and I mean anything, you need, do not hesitate to call upon us. We'd be more than happy to help" Mjoll responded, apparently unaware of the residual sarcasm that inhabited the young woman's voice. She gave Lily a pat on the shoulder and a broad smile.

"Thank you, I'll remember that. I shall see you two around town then, good day," and with that, Lily began the trek to the Riften Orphanage.

**Ω**

_This is absolutely ridiculous,_ Lily thought as she swung open the door to the house, if you could call it that. She was greeted, or perhaps verbally assaulted would be a more fitting term, by an old woman in a tattered dress sitting behind a desk.

"What do ya want? The children aren't for adoption so get out," The last syllables of the ancient looking woman's words were cut off by a coughing fit that crescendoed into what sounded like a bear asserting its dominance and ended with a black mass being spat upon the floor. Lily took a step back.

"My name is Lillian Frost-Eye, I-,"

"Who? Never heard of you, get out."

_What an absolutely charming woman. _

"I was given a letter from Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak in Windhelm for you, and some gold for my-,"

"Gold? Well give it here child, I don't have all day to wait on the likes of you," Lily made a motion to hand the crone a slip of paper and a sack of gold, which was grabbed roughly from her small hands.

"…relatives murdered…need boarding for three months…if needed, more gold will be sent…" At these last words, the old woman's face lit up and she looked at Lily with a honeyed grin, "Well, they'll certainly want you to be comfortable for these three hard months, I'll send word that this amount of gold," she weighed it in her hand, "will definitely not be enough. Go ahead into the children's bedroom and set your things down, I'll have Constance get you a bed."

Lily smiled sardonically and left the hag to write her letter. She didn't care what the miserable old bat scammed out of Ulfric Stormcloak, he wasn't exactly on her list of people she had any sort of respect for at the moment. Lily understood why he had sent her away. And though she hated to admit it, it was a good plan. As long as she laid low and didn't draw attention to herself, she'd have no trouble hiding out in this town for a couple months.

She made her way into what she could only assume was the children's room. The room was barren of any kind of decoration. Beds lined the two opposing walls, trunks placed at the foot of each one. A great fireplace stood cold and grey between two of the beds and Lily wondered if it had ever been lit. She was just setting her things down upon the floor when an Imperial woman entered the room.

"You must be the new orphan. I must say, I expected you to be younger…" She said stopping a few feet in front of Lily.

"I'm Lillian Frost-eye. The woman at the door said that I'm supposed to have a bed here?" Lily said, ignoring the woman's observation. She had to play nice if she was going to survive these three months.

"Yes, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in here with the children; that's the only place we have space. I'll put you in the corner." She said picking up one of Lily's bags and bringing it over to a bed. "This bed and trunk are yours, but I would strongly suggest not putting anything of value in the trunk. It might walk away, if you know what I mean."

"You have a problem with the children stealing things?"

"Oh no, not the children, but as you can tell this really isn't a fortress, and with The Thieves Guild operating here...well, just keep your jewelry with you, ok?" She finished.

"You're the expert." Lily said. She wasn't going to get any more answers out of this woman so she just let the conversation drop. "I don't believe you ever gave me your name."

"Constance. If you need anything, come to me. Grelod is, um, difficult to get along with, so just bring your concerns to me, ok?"

"Alright, thank you Constance. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get settled in."

"Of course, call if you need anything," and she left the room.

Lily laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. The day had been frustrating; mostly due to the fact she had been in a foul mood to begin with. She had almost been coming out of it until she entered the orphanage. The incident with, _Grelod was it, _had left a bad taste in her mouth. From the few sentences Lily had spared the woman, she could tell that their relationship would be a fiery one, or completely non-existent, the latter being not entirely unwelcome. Constance seemed to be completely under Grelod's thumb. _She's probably the one who cleans up after the hag,_ Lily thought, _probably why she told me to come to her directly, cuts out the middle man. Anyway, the less time I can spend with both of them, the better. _

She couldn't decide if she didn't like the people she had met today because of their personalities or if it was just the stubbornness that accompanied her mood. Whatever the case, Lily made the executive decision to 'figure it out in the morning' and fell asleep.


	3. The Tale of Volund Stone-Heart

Hey guys, I know I haven't updated in a while, and I'm sorry about that. I just recently made the move to college. Anyway, heres a little something I worked up in a couple of days. Now, its not a direct continuation of the story, but it is stuff you'll need to know for the fic.

All characters are mine, just so's you know.

Happy reading :D

The Tale of Volund Stone-Heart

Once upon a time a wicked Jarl ruled over the hold of Dawnstar. Jarl Galfrad the Grim ruled Dawnstar with an iron fist and expected complete obedience out of those he ruled, including his family. For most, the fear that Galfrad inspired was enough to keep them in line. Galfrad's son, Volund, was not so fearful of his father however. Volund preferred the company of the animals in the forests around Dawnstar rather than his father's courtiers. He had made many friends in the forest, even charming the yeti's and mountain cats and, quite unlike his father, Volund was a gentle soul and found no joy in gaining power through fear.

Galfrad, seeing his son's kind nature as a weakness, responded with cruelty and forbade the boy from entering the forest henceforth. Instead, he made him train as a warrior and kept him close at his side, exposing him to the full force of his unkind ways. Upon Volund's eighteenth birthday, a traveling mage entered the city of Dawnstar. She was called Aleria the Fair by all who encountered her, and was known not only for her beauty, but also her kindhearted demeanor. Upon seeing her, Volund fell hopelessly in love and vowed he would wed her.

Volund and Aleria became fast lovers, but their love had to be kept in secret. Volund knew that if his father found out about his and Aleria's affair they would never be together. They made the decision to run from Volund's father's hold, and start a life together.

On the night of the escape, just as Volund was getting ready to leave, his father's squire arrived at his door with an order; Volund was to go to the great hall at once. Not wishing to arouse suspicion, Volund agreed and followed the squire to the hall. When he arrived, he saw his father, his father's knights, and Aleria, bound to a great stone in the middle of the hall.

Volund was seized as he entered the hall. "What is the meaning of this?!" he exclaimed, trying to fight the guards.

"I have heard whispers of your affair my son, but I did not wish to believe them. I thought if I could take you away from the foolishness of love, you could be strong. I believed, irrationally, that I could mold you into a strong warrior. Alas you leave me no choice but this one." Galfrad said. The Jarl gave a wave, and the guards holding Volund brought him to the front of the chamber.

"You will watch as this mage whore is used however my men see fit. If you do not, if you struggle, I will kill her." Galfrad hissed, "I am doing this for your own good son, love is a weakness that you cannot afford."

Volund was strapped to his father's throne and made to watch as all manner of horrors befell his lovely Aleria. Her screams echoed through the hall for hours, falling silent around the break of day. Volund tried to look away only once; his father responded by piercing one of Alerias beautiful eyes.

"Release my son," Galfrad said "and the wench."

Volund ran to Aleria as the guards roughly cut her from the rock. He pushed them out of the way and caught her before she fell.

"Aleria," he breathed, "oh gods Aleria, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright Volund, I….I can't feel anything anymore." She said, tears streaming down her one cheek, blood down the other. Volund's eyes filled with tears and he hugged her to him. He looked up at his father.

"WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS?!" He screamed, "WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DERSERVE THIS?"

"I will not have a weakling as a son." Galfrad responded coolly. Galfrad called his court wizard, Riaghan to him. The mage stepped in front of Volund and plunged his hand deep into the boy's chest. His fist emerged clutching Volund's still beating heart, and he replaced the organ with a stone.

Volund shrieked, and upon realizing he still lived, shrieked a second time. A rage gripped his body such as he has never known, and his shriek became and growl. He glared up at his father, his face full of malice. He stood, dropping Aleria out of his arms and on the floor.

"Volund!" She cried, looking up at him with her battered face, "What are you doing?!"

Volund looked down at the bloodied woman with disinterest, "you're of no use to me anymore."

"It's done," Riaghan said to the Jarl, "your son shall never know love again."

"Good. As your reward, you may keep his heart." Galfrad said.

"Thank you sire, a pure heart is hard to come by these days." Riaghan said, and took the heart into his chambers.

"Remove this woman from my hall." Volund said brusquely, "she's staining the stone." He turned, and the guards picked up Aleria.

"Volund, Volund don't do this! You're breaking my heart!" She wept "What has he done to you?"

"Get her out of my sight!" Volund sneered, "Father, thank you for making me see just _pathetic_ I was being." Volund moved toward his father and put a hand out to him. His father grasped it tightly.

Like a snake, Volund pulled his father in closer to him and brought forth a dagger with his other hand. He stabbed the Jarl so quickly, the guards knew what happened only after Jarl Golfrad was bleeding out on the floor. As Galfrad fell to the floor, Volund erupted in bright red flames. His long blonde hair turned an inky black, and his ice blue eyes morphed into a blood red hue.

"I am your Jarl now! And if any have a problem with that," Volund chuckled darkly, "well, take my father as a representation of my _mercy_.

From that day on, Volund Stone-Heart knew no kindness, no compassion, and most importantly, no love.


End file.
